The Moments That Bring Us Back
by ManuPRS
Summary: Brittany and Santana have broken up five years ago. Well, sort of...
1. Chapter 1

The moment she saw her there, she just knew they were going to hook up. It had been a friendly, stress-free break-up for the two of them, and the brunette was just now realizing it might not have been a complete break-up at all. Santana Lopez and Brittany Pierce had dated through all of high school, but thing started to get a little harder when both of them got into different colleges. Santana was always determined to become a lawyer. She was passionate for what justice could do to people's lives if done right, and that – to bring justice to the less fortunate – had been her mission for as long as she could remember. Creative, bubbly Brittany, on the other hand, was a natural dancer, and her parents saw that when she was very young, so – surprising no one – she got into Juilliard. The different lives the two were leading, as well as new friends and new people eventually lead to them breaking up.

But that was five years ago. Brittany was now sipping her mojito, sitting at the booth where all of her friends were, and thinking about the inevitability of what was bound to happen. She knew the brunette had seen her. She was leaning against the counter of the bar sporting a black leather jacket, some jeans and allstars, and having a pint, all while making a – the blonde could tell – inhumane effort to look aloof. Taking matters into her own already very tipsy hands Brittany gets up from her table, excuses herself from her friends and walks up to Santana. Running her hands over the other girl's thigh, she approaches her ear.

"Hello, stranger".

*four years earlier*

It wasn't like Quinn meant for it to happen, it's just that it was a really big wedding. She and Puck had decided to elope two years after finishing high school, because neither could see why wait any longer. Sure, the Brittana situation had seemed like a problem at first, but after talking to them separately, it became very clear to the bride that the former couple had easily fallen into the comfortable friendship they had before getting romantically involved.

So it didn't seem like much of a problem to Quinn when the beautiful bed and breakfast her parents owned in Santa Barbara didn't have enough rooms to put Brittany and Santana separately. All of their other friends had a plus one but them, and a bride who had chosen Rachel Berry as bridesmaid could only take so much stress.

Which brings us to this very awkward Friday afternoon. Both girls are unpacking, each in their twin bed and trying hard to make small talk, which is all the talk they've had since the break-up.

"So…" Brittany hesitantly starts, "any news?"

"Well, I've gotten an internship at the DA's office" Santana says, pride coating her voice "never been more productive. How about you?"

"Back-up dancer for a broadway play… Not much, but it's paid the bills." Brittany faces Santana while taking her dress out of her suitcase. "You know that wasn't what I meant, though".

"It wasn't?" Santana raises an eyebrow "Enlighten me, then".

"Well…" Brittany's now walking a little closer to the shorter girl "I meant to ask if you're seeing someone lately"

Santana looks profoundly puzzled "I'm not…"

Brittany decides to be a little more upfront about her intentions and takes her top off, revealing a bra that made it very clear to Santana that the blonde had planned that little stunt. "Since we're back to being friends, I figured we could still have sex… That was always a part of our friendship anyways".

Santana couldn't very well deny something like that. It had been a little while for her, and sex with the blonde had always been absolutely satisfying.

She walks towards the blonde, grabs her roughly by the back of her neck and kisses her. Brittany moves her hand, almost automatically, to the latina's ass. Santana is now biting on the blonde's lower lip, as she kneads her breasts slowly. Brittany moans and walks towards the bed behind her, bringing Santana along with her. The brunette wastes no time. She takes off Brittany's bra and sucks on her breasts until the blonde is rubbing her core against her thigh, begging for more. Santana moves down, smells the blonde's very wet center and teases her, licking her panties for a while before she takes them off. Just as she was about to get to where Brittany wanted her, she raises her head and finds the blonde's eyes:

"This never gets old, does it?"

*Present day*

After that moment – well, those moments – at Quinn's wedding, sex became something that went back on the table for them. No attachments, no stress, no love, just friends having fun, right? Well, maybe for Santana, but Brittany hasn't really managed to let go of the hope they might still get back together someday, so she's been holding on. She's kept herself single through all these years, only having occasional flings, which matched the times Santana had more serious girlfriends. Nine times, specifically, over the last four years, they had sex. Nine times Brittany fooled herself.

Which is precisely what she's doing now, as they are getting their clothes back on in the bathroom where they've just fingered each other.

"So", Santana says as she zips up her jeans, "wanna get a drink?"

The blonde looks surprised. "Sure, what's the occasion?"

"I've just won a big case, it's kind of a big deal for the firm. I don't really feel like spending the night with those self-absorbed assholes from the firm, so I figured we could go over to my place, to catch up."

Brittany offers her arm to the brunette. "Lead the way!"

* * *

Well, it sure has been a while! Please leave a review!


	2. Chapter 2

As Brittany slowly woke up, she took in her surroundings and, confused by her sleep haze, realized she wasn't home. She let out a sigh of relief when she remembered the events of the night before. The night with Santana felt like old times. They had the most amazing sex and, after, stayed up for a little longer talking about their lives and catching up. It amazed the blonde how light and easy things always seemed when it came to her and Santana. Just a couple of minutes of chatting could bring them right back to where they left off. She rose from the bed when she smelled something that resembled pancakes, and went to the kitchen to look for Santana.

The dancer let out a subtle smile as she took the sight in front of her. Santana in loose shorts and an old Columbia shirt making them pancakes while humming a tune. She hugs the shorter girl from behind and gives her a little kiss on the neck.

"Hey there, cutie" Santana says, as she turns around to hug Brittany, "Take a seat, there's fresh coffee and I'm making pancakes"

"Sure thing!" Brittany sits at the kitchen table and tries to think about a conversation starter. "So, have you got any plans for today?"

"Yeah, I have to get to the office in two hours or so, we're meeting up with a potential new client today"

"Already? But you've just won a case, you should get some rest…"

"Maybe, but we've got to keep the ball rolling" Santana sets a plate of pancakes on the table, "I don't want to get behind"

As they started eating, Santana's phone, which was on the table between them, went off. A message that appeared on the screen read:

 _Message from Ella: Hey, babe! Wanna get together sometime today? Miss u!_

When the lawyer realized who the text was from, she immediately took the phone and shoved it in her pocket. Brittany took a long, hard sip from her coffee and decided to just address the elephant in the room.

"So, who's Ella?" She asked, with an inquiring eyebrow rising.

"Oh, just a girl I've been seeing" Santana looked somewhat nervous.

"Something like a girlfriend, maybe?"

"Well, kind of… It's nothing that we've discussed, really"

The morning went downhill from there. As they finished their meal, they were mostly silence. The only conversation taking place at the table after that ordeal involved their mutual friends, more specifically Quinn, who had just found out she was pregnant with her first child.

As they finished eating, Santana offered Brittany a ride home which the blonde, of course, refused. She needed sometime alone with her thoughts and she thought a walk could help.

When she got to her apartment, she found Kurt, roommate and best friend, sitting on the couch.

"Where have you been all night, miss? You completely ditched all of us" Kurt inquired.

"I spent the night at Santana's…"

"Oh, nice! Care to elaborate?"

"Yes, actually. She has an almost girlfriend and used me as some cheap whore she charms at a bar?"

"Wait, what?" Kurt seemed absolutely flabbergasted. He set Brittany on the couch and put her head on his lap.

"Some girl named Ella texted her while we were getting breakfast"

"Oh, sweetie… I'm sure she has a better explanation than what you're thinking."

"No, Kurt, she doesn't. We've been at this for four years, and it's never gotten past empty little one-night stands. Maybe it's time I star accepting Santana and I just aren't meant to be. Even if we were, it's not like thinks about it long enough to realize it." Brittany started to tear up "I'm such a fucking idiot, I can't believe I just trusted her like that"

"Britt, don't jump into those conclusions so quickly… Have you ever thought about the fact that she might feel the same but be as discouraged as you are?"

"Maybe she does, Kurt, but love isn't supposed to make me feel this shitty." Brittany gets up from the couch and sets to her room "I'm going to put on some workout clothes and head to the park, see if a walk can clear my head"

As Brittany left, Kurt remained sitting on the couch, deep in thought. Knowing the girls for as long as he did, he was on the Brittana ship as much as any of us, and knew for a fact that the pair was destined to be together. Taking his phone out of his pocket, he decided it was time to come up with a plan. He scanned through his contacts and tried to find someone to brainstorm with. Rachel was too gossipy, Finn was too aloof, Puck was, well, Puck… After some consideration, he knew just who to call.

-bar here-

"Kurt! It's been a little while!"

"I'm really glad to see you, Holly, but today is not for having fun"

"No? Could've fooled me, since you asked to see me in a bar at 2 p.m."

Holly had remained close to the new directioners after high school, but especially to Brittany and Santana. She played a very big role in getting them together the first time, and was absolutely devastated when they broke up. Which is precisely why Kurt thought she'd be the perfect companion for his little scheme. As they drank mojitos, Kurt let her in on the problem.

"Well, Santana has always been emotionally handicapped. The only one who was ever able to get things out of her was Brittany."

"That might be true, Holly, but if we just let fate do its job, maybe Santana will never realize they're meant to be together… Still, I don't feel comfortable meddling like this."

"Calm you tits, babydoll, we can just give them a little push. I'm sure even two idiots like them will come around the fact that they have to fight for it"

"Do you have a plan, then?" Kurt asked.

Holly smirked, took a long sip of her drink and said "I thought you'd never ask!"

So, been trying to update regularly, so I'll keep it short. Leave a review if you can, thanks for reading!

-Manu


	3. Chapter 3

Santana was never the type of girl who was too in touch with her emotions or sentimental. She was tough, had high walls built around her, and she liked it that way. Her father was an investment banker and her mother was a lawyer so, naturally, what mattered around the Lopez household was, as her folks called it, "results". No feelings, no cozy family time, nothing like that. Pride and acknowledgement came only after Santana achieved something work or school related.

And then, came Brittany. She met the bubbly blonde in high school and they became fast friends. After a few months, Santana realized that those walls she spent so long building came tumbling down around the girl. She longed for the time they spent alone, at her place, just lounging around the couch and watching some cheesy TV show. For the first time in her life, Santana felt like she could just be her. With Brittany, she didn't care about achieving anything, doing anything or pleasing and impressing anyone. She was just there, wrapped in those arms, taking in that scent.

All it took was a party, some booze and a rooftop for their relationship to take a step further. It was a big fundraiser for Santana's father, and she had managed to take Brittany along with her to keep her from dying of boredom. When everyone else became too drunk to notice, she smuggled a bottle of champagne from the kitchen, took the blonde by the arm and led her to the roof she knew that hotel had.

"Won't you get in trouble for this?" The blonde said, agitated.

"Maybe, but just wait until you see it" Santana opened the door and the blonde exited before her. As they took in the view, Brittany let out a whistle.

"Yup, totally worth it!" They both took in the marvelous view of the city they could have from up there, sat down on a table cloth and started drinking while talking carelessly.

About 15 minutes in to their little escape, Brittany puts down her glass of champagne. "You know…" She turns to look at Santana's eyes "Tonight was actually really fun."

"Really?" The brunette scoffed "A whole night of ass-kissing? Highly doubt you could get any fun out of it"

"No, not that… It's just that I kind of felt like I was your date, you know?"

Santana looked confused, so Brittany went on "You introduced me to everybody, led me by the arm, we sneaked out with champagne, it's been nice…"

"Did you like being my date, then?" Santana looked amused by the blonde's antics.

"I very much did" They moved towards each other, and Brittany couldn't help herself anymore. "San, I want to do something kind of crazy, let me know if it gets awkward"

She cupped Santana's face with one hand and pulled her closer with the other, joining their lips in a soft kiss. Santana tangled her hand in Brittany's hair and deepened the kiss. They pulled apart after they both got breathless.

"Nope," Santana starts, "Not awkward at all"

"Good" Brittany replies, "because that means I can push the boundaries a little further" She pulls up her dress and straddles Santana. The brunette under her is flabbergasted, delighted.

Needless to say, the night didn't get awkward at all. They both enjoyed the moment, the very first moment they had together and, after it was over, they stayed there, wrapped in each other's arms, building up the courage to go back to the real world.

After that first night, things fell into an easy, natural dynamic. Santana asked Brittany to be her girlfriend in a road trip they took to San Francisco just two months after the rooftop, and the blonde said yes. Coming out to both their parents wasn't as hard as it could have been. Brittany's parents couldn't care less about who she was dating, as long as she was happy. Santana's parents were concerned for a moment that their daughter would lose focus on her professional goals over the relationship but, eventually, came around too.

However, that fresh teenage vibe couldn't last forever. College put a strain on their relationship, which eventually lead to Santana feeling like she and Brittany were just fuck buddies, thus deciding to end it. The break-up almost killed her. She realized too late that it didn't matter how, she just wanted Brittany to be a part of her life. She neutralized her emotions with work, and it worked for a while, but finding out she and Brittany would be in the same room at Quinn's wedding got her all sorts of worked up. She wanted to fuck the blonde, to talk to her, to hug her and never let her go but, playing it safe as she always had, decided to let Brittany take the lead.

The dancer, as usual, was very upfront about her intentions. They had sex and that was it. As devastated as Santana had been, it felt nice to have something, even if it wasn't what she wanted. When she got back to New York, some serious soul searching made it clear to her that she just had to move on. If nothing else, for the sake of her dignity. Dignity, however, could very easily be lost in the bottom of a beer bottle. And so, over those four years, Santana took what she could get.

Hello everyone, sorry for the delay, test week had me tired! As requested, some Santana POV this chapter. Thanks for reading, and please hit that review button!


	4. Chapter 4

"So, that was your big plan?" Kurt asked, entirely unimpressed, "Having a get together at a bar?"

"Come on, babydoll, give me some credit" Holly said, sipping on her mojito, "We all have a lot of fun tonight, make sure they don't leave early to bang and they'll remember how it feels like to be an item around the people they love" She leaned back on her chair, pleased with herself. "It just can't go wrong."

But, just as every other thing in this world, it could.

"Hey, everyone!" Santana said, as she spotted them on a side table, "I guess I'm a little early, no one's here yet…" A tall redhead walks in after her, "and this is Ella, my girlfriend."

Kurt looked like he was about to have a stroke, and Holly drank as if the world was ending and that was the only way of saving it. "So," Santana says, "who else are we waiting for?"

"Oh, just Britt, Sam and Quinn" Kurt had recovered a little and finally found the manners to say: "Ella, it's very nice to meet you!"

"Yeah, it's nice to finally meet you too, Santana has been kind of avoiding the introduction for some reason"

"What? I have not…" Santana's words fail her as she sees Brittany, accompanied by Quinn and Sam entering the bar.

"This is going to be awkward…" Kurt whispered into Holly's ear.

"Hey guys!" If Brittany was affected by Ella's presence, she didn't show. She took a seat at the table, as did Sam and Quinn, and immediately joined in to the conversation.

Surprising no one, however, she felt neutralized. Ella was perfect for Santana. She made all of them laugh, shared her passion for work and for the law, was classy but approachable and, Brittany hated to admit it, beautiful. A feeling she could never shake was that she didn't belong in the other girl's world, even if they had loved each other at a point. She realized now that what they'd been having for the last four years – as little as it might have been – was a stretch. There was no way Santana wanted her back. Maybe the lay was good for her, but Brittany highly doubted she longed for her when she woke up, or that she still saw things on the street that reminded her of the other girl, as happened more often than not to Brittany.

On the other side of the table, Santana was tense. She was sure that bringing Ella was a bad idea, and that it could've become weird. And while that wasn't the case, she still wasn't comfortable having her and Brittany in the same room. She was trying hard to let the blonde go for good, and introducing a girlfriend gave out the exact signal she wanted, but why did it feel so wrong to her? Why was she having such a hard time focusing on the conversation and not staring at Brittany's lips?

"Oh, shit" Ella said, as she read a text she had just received, "it's the office… Baby, I'm really sorry for cutting the night short, but they need me there."

"Oh, it's ok, I'll come with you."

"No, stay. Enjoy the rest of the night with your friends, I'll text you when I get home." Ella took her coat and purse and left to find a cab. Santana started feeling even more like an outsider, since she was pretty much alone at that point.

Brittany was the first one to get up and say: "Guys, let's hit the floor!"

They all got up from the table and Santana, hesitantly, did too. Maybe that would be a good way to get her head off things. She should, however, have known that dancing with Brittany was a bad way to stop thinking about, well, Brittany. The blonde got touchy very easily, and was almost grinding into Santana not five minutes after they started dancing. Their friends sensed what could be about to happen and started giving Brittany some hard stares, to which the blonde shrugged. When the music started to slow down, Santana decided it'd be a little too sentimental and left the dance floor. Quinn followed her to the table.

"You know," she started, after ordering another glass of wine, "your plan to push her away might be working. It's time you started thinking whether or not that's what you want.

"Of course it is, Quinn" Santana really wasn't in the mood for giving Quinn details about her feelings, "I just don't want her to think she's gonna have me as her little sex toy forever.

"Oh my god, are you blind?! Brittany would come running if you'd just show some affection."

"Really? Because I think her message was pretty clear through all of these years. We have good sex, that's all. Don't let this romantic head of yours project love where there isn't any."

Quinn, at that point, gave up. She had planted the seed, right?

Santana's mood took a turn for the worse after talking about those insecurities out loud, and she decided it was time to leave. She said a quick goodbye to Quinn and waved at the rest of the gang, which was still at the dance floor. As she headed out, she took a cigarette from her purse and lit it, leaning against a wall while she took out her phone to get an uber.

"San, wait" Brittany looked a little out of breath as she caught up to the brunette, "you didn't even say goodbye…"

Santana scoffed "Why? Are you disappointed we didn't end up in the bathroom this time?"

"Uh, rude much?"

"I'm not, Brittany, I'm just sick of being used." She takes a long drag of her cigarette and crosses her arms in front of her.

"Oh, you're sick? Guess how I felt seeing you and the flavor of the month today" Brittany's fists are balled up at her sides.

"Respect her, she's my girlfriend."

"It sure didn't seem like it when we were at your place last week and she texted you"

"She is now, and, honestly, I want you to let me go. I have a life to live, Brittany, I can't have you pulling me back every time I find someone."

"You're hardly being fair right now, I have waited five years for you, and you never gave me a fucking chance!" Brittany, at this point, doesn't care about looking desperate anymore, she needs to get it out there.

"Well, I did. If you haven't seen them, maybe we really aren't supposed to be together."

At that point, Santana's Uber arrives, and she waves at Brittany and enters the car, fighting the tears that have been trying to fall since the beginning of the conversation. Brittany's tears, on the other hand, were rolling free.

Thanks for the reviews, everyone! They'll be together eventually, but I can't just hand it to you! Hope you enjoyed and, as usual, please hit that review button!


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